Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 15 Will Those Who Leave God See It?
The church bell struck twelve, awakening the memory of the old city in the wilderness, and then all kinds of sounds came one after another, like wild dogs barking in the swamp, crows crying in the woods. Alice listened carefully and heard the rumble of carriages rolling over the cobblestone streets, the yawning of policemen on patrol in the middle of the night, and the sad songs hummed by the night watchmen.

She glanced out the window and found that it was just dawn, around five or six o'clock.

At this point in time, on Earth in the 28th century, she might have just put down the controller and fallen asleep. However, for the city of Linville in the 19th century, the city woke up at this time.

"It's dawn." murmured the girl.

Linger had been standing in front of the goddess's statue, looking up slightly, gazing into those kind and compassionate eyes, not knowing what he was thinking. At this moment, hearing Alice's murmur, he retracted his gaze, turned around and said to the pink-haired little girl who was in a daze on the chair, "You can open the door, Metien."

"Ah? Ah, okay!"

Metien, who had come to his senses, quickly agreed, stretched out his hands and patted his cheeks vigorously to regain consciousness. Then he ran to the door of the church, unbolted the door with some difficulty, and opened the door. The old door hinges made a sour sound as they turned, and the first rays of light in the morning came into the chapel.

When the gap in the door gradually widened and finally completely accommodated the outside world, Alice, who was standing behind the altar, opened her eyes wide, because she saw that outside the church, which should have been empty, a long line had formed, winding around the street and leading to a corner invisible to the naked eye. There were men and women, old and young in the line, and everyone had a melancholy look on their face, shrouded in a sad atmosphere, as if the moment the sun became completely bright, would be the moment they evaporated and disappeared from this world.

Among these people, some were ragged and had to use picked up newspapers to cover the exposed skin and resist the cold wind of the frosty month. They were basically homeless vagrants; some were relatively clean and tidy, but their simple clothes had lost their original color after years of washing; some were trembling all over, their faces were blue with cold, and it seemed that fleas could be seen crawling among their messy hair; some still retained their reserve and composure, such as an old woman Alice saw. Although there was a tired look in her eyes, her body stood straight, and her gray hair was meticulously combed, which made her stand out in the team.

The people in the queue were holding containers in their hands, empty cans picked up from the roadside, empty beer bottles, or cans used to hold butter. Alice thought that they should be using them to hold milk. After all, the free food distributed by Tianxin Church also included half a pint of milk, which was delivered from a ranch outside the city last night.

They didn't know how long they had been queuing here. Some might have just arrived, while others had been queuing since last night. But everyone was so silent, without making any sound, just like a ghost parade, chilling. When Metien opened the door, their eyes were all focused on the girl. Their eyes were like solidified stones, so heavy but not knowing how to fall. Dryness, pain, numbness, and sadness were all burning in them.

Alice had to admit that she was indeed frightened by this line. Even when she was queuing up to buy the latest game consoles, the long lines outside the store were not more frightening than the line in front of her. She was a little overwhelmed, so she cast an inquiring look at Lingge, but the pastor did not look at her, but just whispered: "Please let them in."

After she finished speaking, she walked to the door and made way for the chapel. The people in line seemed to be familiar with this process. Without objection, they entered the chapel one by one in silence, found a seat and sat down. Alice noticed that they only breathed a sigh of relief when they were completely seated, as if their tense hearts could only be completely relaxed at this moment.

This was obviously said to Metien. It was not the first time for her to see such a scene, so she was much calmer than the useless maid Alice. She faced all the silent gazes and showed a warm smile on her face: "Sorry, I have kept you waiting for so long. The seven-day ceremony is about to begin. Those who want to listen to the gospel of the goddess, please go to the chapel and take a seat. However, please be careful not to crowd or push."

The team moved slowly, and the few oak benches were gradually filled with people. The floor that Lingge had just mopped clean had been trampled by so many people and had already become dirty, but he didn't care. His expression didn't change at all. He kept looking at the crowd under the altar quietly. His pair of golden eyes were too clear, like a hollow mirror that could reflect anyone's appearance.

He counted silently in his mind, and when the number of people entering the chapel reached the number he had set, he spoke in a calm but unquestionable tone, "Enough."

The sound echoed in the chapel, and everyone could hear it clearly. I don't know if it was Alice's illusion, but the atmosphere seemed to freeze and sink to the deepest bottom of the sea, enough to suffocate people.

The person at the front of the line was a tired-looking middle-aged tramp, who had half a foot over the threshold and was only one step away from entering the chapel. But Linger stared at him without saying anything, just staring at him, which seemed to be a notice, or a verdict, making the man's face pale and his lips stammering as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he gave up and resigned himself to his fate by withdrawing the half foot that had stepped into the church, with a look of disappointment in his eyes.

"Sorry, everyone." Metien at the door bowed deeply to him and the others in the team, his tone full of apology: "The quota for this time is full, please come again next time!"

The team that had been queuing all night did not riot or protest. They just dispersed silently, just as they had gathered silently. However, before leaving, everyone nodded to the apologetic Metien to express their gratitude. As for Lingge, who was actually responsible for hosting the ceremony, not many people paid attention to him.

"Lingge," Alice noticed that the old lady with outstanding manners was also among the dispersing crowd. She hurriedly tugged at the pastor's sleeve and lowered her voice, "If we squeeze in, there should be room for us to sit, right?"

"It has nothing to do with seats." Ling Ge said: "The number of food distribution places is limited."

Alice was stunned. At this moment, Lingge, who had been looking at the crowd, finally turned around, glanced at her, and said softly, "Of course, if they just come to listen to the gospel of the goddess, I can let them in."

However, no.

The crowd just dispersed, just walked back, blending into the gradually brightening light of the sky. Perhaps they were rushing to the soup kitchens in other blocks, where they could always squeeze in if they were lucky. No one stopped, no one paused, no one even lingered for a moment, and looked back at the statue of the goddess.

What exactly do you see in those loving and compassionate eyes?

Linger walked forward, crossed the altar, and stood at the front of the altar area. Alice looked at his back and suddenly felt a little thin and lonely. She remembered what Metien had said. The girl said Linger was a person without weaknesses, but where in the world could such a perfect person exist? Everyone has their own weaknesses, and Linger is no exception.

What makes Linger different from others is that he accepts his own weaknesses.

Once you accept it, it is no longer a weakness.

"Now, the ceremony begins."

His calm announcement came to my ears.

　Give me some meow
　　
　
(End of this chapter)